Royal Society of Portrait Painters | Events Programme 2026

The Royal Society of Portrait Painters presents a series of special events to complement the RP Annual Exhibition 2026:

Thursday 7 May, 1pm to 4pm

Jason Bentley will draw a portrait from life, live in the gallery. Using dry media, over the course of the demonstration Jason will establish the most important aspects to successfully describe form in a portrait. Observers will see the development of a coherent and simple drawing language that constructs the fundamentals of proportion, turning form, and emotive gesture. 

Jason is an American classical realist artist living in Scotland and recent graduate at the Glasgow Academy of Fine Art (now the Ayrshire Atelier of Fine Art). He is devoted to modern academic methods with focus on the portrait and figure, and keeps a studio in the Merchant City area of Glasgow. There, he enjoys making personal work, taking commissions, and teaching, but the breathtaking scenery of the Highlands and surrounding areas often inspires him to take his painting to the field and record the many personalities of the Scottish atmosphere.

Saturday 9 May, 1pm to 4pm

To coincide with the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters welcomes twenty-four Chinese artists as guest exhibitors to this year's annual exhibition. 

For this special event, four guest artists - Longsheng Wang, Zhengyang Yuan, Ming Qin, and Qian Li - will paint from the same model live in the gallery.

This event is supported by Shengxinyu Art and its director, Zhang Hongbin.

Monday 11 May, 11am to 4pm

Phoebe Stewart Carter will demonstrate painting an ‘all-prima’ oil painting from a live model in a realist style.

Phoebe Stewart Carter is from Gloucestershire, England, and grew up between the UK and Maryland, USA. In 2017 she became a student of artist, Nick Beer, in his studio in Salisbury, England. While in Salisbury she was introduced to academic drawing techniques that were taught through the 19th century. Being determined to further her education, she travelled to Italy in 2018 to begin intensive training at the Florence Academy of Art (FAA). Having spent four years studying, as well as teaching at the FAA, Stewart Carter developed a strong understanding of 19th century academic and figurative work. After having graduated from the drawing and painting course, Phoebe was awarded a position as an artist in residence and instructor at the FAA.

In 2025 Phoebe moved back to Gloucestershire, where she currently takes commissions and works on personal projects, as well as traditional portraiture and landscape. Stewart Carter exhibits internationally, and has been awarded prizes for her portraiture by the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Art Renewal Center, and Portrait Society of America.